ICC set to consider financial allocation from Afghanistan's revenue to boost women's cricket

The ICC is set to discuss the possibility of ring-fencing funds for Afghanistan women's cricket at their annual meetings in Colombo this weekend. The global cricket body faces increasing pressure to address the Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) failure to field a women's team.

Several cricket boards, including Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), are keen to explore the idea at the ICC Board meeting on Sunday. The proposal involves setting aside a portion of the annual revenue given to Afghanistan as a Full Member, specifically for developing women's cricket in the country.

The urgency of the discussion has increased after a group of Afghanistan women cricketers, who were contracted by the ACB before the Taliban took over, wrote to ICC chair Greg Barclay. They requested help in establishing a refugee team in Australia, where many of them have fled. The letter was sent following the Afghanistan men's team reaching their first-ever global semi-final at the T20 World Cup 2024. It acknowledged the men's achievements and the fact that the ACB cannot recognize a women's team due to the Taliban's restrictive policies. Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, women's rights in Afghanistan have been severely restricted, including a ban on secondary education, work, and sports activities.

The 17 women cricketers have asked the ICC to recognize them as a refugee team, administered by the East Asian Cricket office at Cricket Australia. CA has refused to play bilateral cricket with Afghanistan, withdrawing from three series, although they still compete against them in ICC events. No other Full Member has taken a similar stance.

Discussing this issue in the ICC boardroom will be complex, as there is little precedent for such a situation. The ICC's annual revenue distribution to members does not specify how much money should be spent on women's cricket, making it challenging to determine an appropriate percentage to set aside.

The ACB receives approximately USD 17 million annually from the ICC. One suggestion is to set up an escrow account where the funds can be kept specifically for women's cricket. However, directing the money appropriately will also be a challenge. Although the 17 women who wrote to the ICC are believed to be contracted players from November 2020, the ICC has not officially recognized them as such. The ICC relies on individual boards to compile and recognize teams.

Even if the proposal is agreed upon, there is no guarantee of unanimous support, as not all boards view the issue in the same way. Some board directors are more sympathetic to the ACB's inability to act against the Taliban government.

These discussions mark a crucial step in addressing the future of Afghanistan women's cricket amid challenging political circumstances.